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YesAsia Editorial Description

Directed by Kim Bong Han (The Hero), Ordinary Person depicts the desperate struggles of ordinary people against the military dictatorship in the late 80s. Crowned Best Actor at the 2017 Moscow International Film Festival, Son Hyun Ju (Chronicles of Evil) portrays an upright detective who strives for a peaceful life but becomes embroiled in a life-threatening conspiracy led by Jang Hyuk's (Empire of Lust) merciless investigator. Screened at the 2017 New York Asian Film Festival, the acclaimed police drama also features a distinguished cast of supporting actors including Ra Mi Ran (The Last Princess), Kim Sang Ho (Fabricated City) and Jo Dal Hwan (The Magician).

YumCha! Asian Entertainment Reviews and Features

Tales of corruption and moral choices continue to be popular in Korean cinema, more often than not taking a dim view of the activities of the country's authorities and higher-ups. This is very much the case with Ordinary Person, the sophomore effort from writer director Kim Bong-han, focusing on a serial killer case back in the pre-democracy times of the 1980s and following on from his 2013 debut The Hero. The film is headed up by a strong cast of acclaimed actors, with Son Hyun-joo (Hide and Seek), Jang Hyuk (Empire of Lust), Kim Sang-ho (Fabricated City) in the lead roles, and with support from Jo Dal-hwan (A Quiet Dream) and Jeong Man-sik (Asura: The City of Madness).

The film takes place in 1987, with Son Hyun-joo as Sung-jin, a basically decent detective who struggles to make ends meet and to take care of his wife (Ra Mi-ran, The Last Princess) and his son, who is badly in need of an operation on his legs. He gets a lucky break when he catches Tae-sung (Jo Dal-hwan), who soon becomes the chief suspect in the first recorded serial killer case in South Korea. Due to the high-profile nature of the case Sung-jin gets involved with National Security Planning Chief Kyoo-nam (Jang Hyuk), who uses him and the situation to further his own ends. Meanwhile, newspaper reporter Jae-jin (Kim Sang-ho) digs deeper into the story and starts to believe that things might not be as they seem, though with Sung-jin in deep with Kyoo-nam, who has paid for his son’s coming operation, matters quickly become complicated and dangerous.

The most surprising thing about Ordinary Person is the way in which Kim Bong-han quickly pushes the serial killer plot into the background, using it only to set up a battle of wills between the three leads and to pose a series of increasingly difficult moral choices for Sung-jin. On the one hand this isn't a bad move, since the supposed mystery surrounding Tae-sung and the question of his guilt is a very standard and predictable affair, and by getting his revelations out of the way early on, Kim frees himself up to focus on character development instead. This works well enough, though Kim also makes the less-wise decision not to explore the political turmoil of the time, something which gives the film the feel of pulling its punches and of missing an opportunity to add substance and intrigue. Though the narrative does engage, it's never as gripping or insightful as it might have been, and Kim's film lacks the sharpness and skilful mix of characters and social commentary seen in Bong Joon-ho's Memories of Murder, which it does resemble in some respects.

Where the film does succeed is through some above average writing, Kim's script at least partly making up for its lack of bite with some interesting protagonists, and though Sung-jin, Kyoo-nam and Jae-jin are all fairly typical figures – the compromised cop, the ruthless and ambitious authority figure and the righteous reporter – they're believable and at least somewhat sympathetic. It's this which Kim uses to try and generate tension, and he does manage a few emotional punches along the way, showing an even-handed approach when it comes to putting his players through the wringer. It helps that the acting is of a high standard, Son Hyun-joo doing well as an everyman figure whose tough financial situation and home life make his behaviour understandable, and while Jang Hyuk never strays too far from the path of making Kyoo-nam a villain, he's at least one with some humanity. Kim Sang-ho, as he often does, provides the film with its heart and conscience, though Kim thankfully steps back from ever portraying him as being too noble and preachy. The scenes between the three actors are all very effective, and though there's not much in the way of action in the film, it benefits from some great scenes of confrontation.

While there's not really enough here to make Ordinary Person great, it's nevertheless a solid take on the usual themes of corruption and morality. Bolstered by a well-judged script and some fine performances, it holds the interest throughout, with a decent number of dramatic and emotional moments along the way.